Today in the MHSAA: 10/9/19

October 9, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

This is the time of year top programs rise from the rest, and the Benzie Central cross country teams led a list of Tuesday standouts that showed again why they are so highly regarded.

1. Boys Cross Country: Benzie Central continued an incredible streak of winning every Northwest Conference championship meet, girls and boys, since joining the league in 2007; the girls are ranked No. 3 and the boys No. 7 in Lower Peninsula Division 3 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

2. Boys Soccer: Division 2 top-ranked Richland Gull Lake remained unbeaten with a 6-0 win over No. 7 St. Joseph in the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference championship match – WWMT

3. Girls Golf: No. 9 Traverse City West won its LPD1 Regional by 10 strokes, and Anci Dy was medalist by 16 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

4. Girls Golf: Top-ranked Harbor Springs shot a 340 to clear its LPD4 Regional field by 89 strokes – Petoskey News-Review

5. Volleyball: Division 1 top-ranked Farmington Hills Mercy improved to 33-1 with a sweep of No. 5 Bloomfield Hills Marian – Oakland Press

6. Girls Golf: No. 8 Petoskey repeated as an LPD2 Regional champion, edging runner-up Traverse City Central by a stroke – Petoskey News-Review

7. Cross Country: Brighton swept Kensington Lakes Activities Association West tri-meets, the LPD1 No. 1 Bulldogs boys to clinch the division championship; the girls are ranked No. 6 in LPD1 – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

8. Boys Soccer: Division 4 No. 4 Muskegon Western Michigan Christian finished a title run through the Lakes 8 Conference with a win over Muskegon Catholic Central – Local Sports Journal

9. Girls Swimming & Diving: Dundee moved to 9-0 in dual meets with a 95-91 win over LPD3 No. 10 Milan, its first ever over that annually successful opponent – Monroe News

10. Volleyball: Boyne City earned its first win over Division 3 honorable mention Traverse City St. Francis since 2013, in five sets – Petoskey News-Review

Also of note …

Volleyball: From Tuesday, Division 3 honorable mention Manistique earned a share of the Mid-Peninsula Conference title with a sweep of Negaunee – Escanaba Daily Press

From High School to Olympic Swimming

July 11, 2012

Fans of U.S. Swimming already have plenty of reasons to cheer for Missy Franklin later this month at the Summer Olympics -- she's only 17, but qualified to compete in a U.S. women's all-time best seven events.

But fans of high school sports and what they provide athletes at all levels of ability can also support her for how she's chosen to compete when she's not racing against the best in the world.

Franklin, who lives in Colorado, has continued to swim for her high school team despite the financial rewards she could've earned by taking the elite swimmer's usual path of going pro.

A ton has been written about Franklin lately, for obvious reasons. Below is a link to a New York Times story from February that focused on her continued dedication to her high school team.

Before the Olympic Trials, There’s This Big High School Meet (New York Times)